Reach out to your representatives

One of the most effective ways to make change is to contact your representatives and tell them what's important to you. Reach out to your representatives today to let them know you want a ban on lethal autonomous weapons.

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Lethal autonomous weapons systems, or killer robots, would be able to select and attack targets without human control, delegating decisions over whom to attack and kill, to a machine. Although fully autonomous weapons are not yet in operation, a number of countries are developing capacities for combat machines that have greater autonomy – including the UK, China, Israel, Russia and the United States. ... Action by states is needed now to develop an understanding over what is unacceptable when it comes to the use of autonomous weapons systems, and to prohibit these activities and development through an international treaty.

Autonomous weapons select and engage targets without human intervention. They might include, for example, armed quadcopters that can search for and eliminate people meeting certain pre-defined criteria, but do not include cruise missiles or remotely piloted drones for which humans make all targeting decisions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has reached a point where the deployment of such systems is — practically if not legally — feasible within years, not decades, and the stakes are high: autonomous weapons have been described as the third revolution in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear arms.

Starting a military AI arms race is a bad idea, and should be prevented by a ban on offensive autonomous weapons beyond meaningful human control.

The development of fully autonomous weapons—“killer robots”—that could select and engage targets without human intervention need to be stopped to prevent a future of warfare and policing outside of human control and responsibility. Human Rights Watch investigates these and other problematic weapons systems and works to develop and monitor international standards to protect civilians from armed violence.

Given the rapid pace of development of military robotics and the pressing dangers that these pose to peace and international security and to civilians in conflict, we call upon the international community for a legally binding treaty to prohibit the development, testing, production and use of autonomous weapon systems in all circumstances.

Machines should not be delegated with the decision to kill or use violent force.